Hanging-arch construction



Maich 2 1926.

E P. STEVENS v HANGING ARCH CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Dec. 19. g g

I [nob/z P55355225, 7/ MMF/D M Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENOCH 1. STEVENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; MARY ANN STEVENS EXECUTRIX OF SAID ENOCH P. STEVENS, DECEASED.

HANGING-ARCH CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed December 19 1919, Serial No. 346,155. Renewed July 8, 1923.

Y '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENooH. P. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morgan Park, Chicago, .in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hanging-Arch Constructions, of which the following is -a specification.

My invention relates to arches, and more particularly, although not exclusively, to hanging arches for use in furnace roof construction for boiler furnaces, open hearth steel furnaces, annealing furnaces, malleable iron furnaces, kilns and the like. My inven tion is particularly useful where the roof is to be subjected to heat, but it may also be employed for arches in buildings and the like where the arches are not subjected toheat and where a particularly strong construction is desired.

In this specification the term arch is used as referring not only to a sprung arch, as illustrated in the drawings, but also to a flat arch, which may readily be constructed in accordance with my invention.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an arch construction which will be particularly strong, in order to prevent collapse of the arch while at the same time attaining the necessary strength by the use of a minimum number of supporting elements.

Another object of myinvention is to construct an arch in such manner that some of the bricks composing the same may be readily removed and replaced without disturbing the rest of the arch.

Another object of my invention is to construct a furnace roof having a plurality of transversely disposed rows of bricks with alternate rows of bricks supported by hangers, with intermediate rows supported on the hanger supported bricks, and with each hanger arranged to support a group of the bricks in the supported row.

A yet further object of my invention is to construct the bricks which are used for upporting purposes of thin sections, theregiving ample-opportunity for even heat istribution and avoiding the liability of cracking. v I

A still further object of my invention resides in a special construction and method of support of a furnace roofwhereby any part of thesame may be readily repaired .flat head portion 19.

ing to stop the operation of the furnace to which the roof may be applied.

A yet further object of my invention 0011- sists in the provision of means for counteracting the deleterious eifects of expansion and contraction of the arch under varied heat conditions. I These and other objects of my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of an arch made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the bricks forming the brick groups supported by a hanger;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another of the bricks of the hanger supported group; and I 3 a Figure 5 is a perspective view of a brick such as are used in making the rows intermediate the supported rows of bricks.

The arch which is shown in the .a ccom-- panying drawings is one which is adapted for use in a stationary boiler, although it will be understood that the scope of my invention is not limited to this specific construction.

The fire box portion of the boiler 10 is' I vertical slots 17 to allow vertical movement of the beams 15. Depending from the beams 15 are a plurality of hangers or carriers 18' which are longitudinally movable to the beams. In the form shown in the drawings the hangers comprise a bolt portion and a mounted in the beams 15 in such manner that the longitudinal axes ofthe bolt portions are preferably radial with respect to the curvature of the arch, as shown in Fig- The hangers are ures 1 and 2, the proper radial position of the bolt being attained by provisionof properly shaped washers or bearing members 20,

- therethrough, the size and shape of which conform tothe head portion .19 of the hangers and through and beyond which said head extends. In order to permitithe inner faces of the inner bricks 23 to contact when in position, recesses 25 are formed in the bricks which embrace the bolt portions ofthe hangers 18., The outer bricks 26 are formed with horizontally extending grooves-27 extendinginward from the 'e dgeof the brick parallel to the abutting face, but transversely to the direction of-support and in position to enj gage the ends of the heads 19 whereby these outer bricks 26may be supported in the same position on the hanger as the inner bricks 23. The inner bricks 23 are applied to the hlalingers by being moved long tudinally of t e beams 15, while the outer bricks 26 are applied to the hangers by being slid transversely to thedirection in which the inner bricks23 are applied. Following this'construction, itwill be noted that the bricks in v the hanger supported row are so mounted in groups that four bricks are carried .on one hanger, so that any group supported by a single han er may be removed or renewed at any time esirable. The side edges of the bricks 23. and 26. are formed with shoulders 28 and 29, which, when the bricks are mounted on the hangers, form supporting means for the overhung shoulders 30 formed on the bricks 31, so that intermediate rows of bricks.

- may be formed by inserting a suflicient numher of intermediate bricks 31 between the alternate rows of hanger supported bricks. This construction is readily observed in Figure 1 of the drawings. I

' It will be noted that the various types of bricks embodying my invention are flat as to the contacting faces thereof and that the various apertures and shoulders may be formed in the bricks when the same are made; The fact that in each of the two styles of bricksthat' comprise the group mounted upon-ahanger the internal recesses which engage the supporting heads of the hangers are without unsupported projections, renders these bricks very much less liable to breakage, and the particular disposition of recesses in these two t pes of brick, namely a continuous-walled 5 0t extending ead 19, that 1s, in a plane parallel tothe' hangers, thereby formin resilient suspension of t through the inner pair ofbricks and the groove extending but jpartly through-the outer bricks of the sing e hanger group, not only insures this feature of fullv supported walls to the recesses, but facilitates removal of one or more bricks of any group by a novel manipulation of the bricks which involves disturbance of a minimum number of unimpaired bricks adjacent thereto, as explained below. In Figure 1 the nose bricks 32 are shown mounted on hangers. These I a may. be constructed to be supported by'the hangers in the same manner that the bricks .23 and 26 are supported'ln the form shown the bricks-have curved cornerportions 33 with shoulders 34 adaptedto supportthe over-hanging shoulders 30' of the adjacent bricks forming the first row of sup- .p'orted bricks.

In forming a roof enibodying my invention, thebeams 15 are suitablymountedpreferably onthe. springs 16s'o. that as the "roof moves under the effect of heat, .com' f Ipensation for such movement may. be pro-v vided by reason of the spring suspension of the;'beams. Furthermore, the interposition of the springs 22in connection with the: va-

rious hangers l 8'.-ser.ves as an additional means for'compens'atingfor the movement of the bricks under varying'heat conditions.

The beams 15 being in position, the various hangers are applied to the beams and adjusted-at a height suitable to form the arch desired, and also at the proper" angles. When the various hangers are in position the bricks 23 are slidin lace and then the outer bricks 26 are a-p bed to the various a plurality of groups of supported bricks, the groups forming a single transverse arch. When the alternate rows of hanger supported bricks are suitably assembled, the intermediate rows of bricks maybe formed by placing the intermediate bricks in position so that the projections 30 of the bricks 31 will engage shoulders 28 and 29 on the hanger supported bricks 23 and 26. It will then be apparent that any movement of the roof caused by varying conditions of heat may be compensated for in various ways. For

- instance, a single transverse row may be perby reason of the e 'hanger carrying mitted to move vertically beams 15. Then in addition, the resilient su nsion of the ngers per se, movement o the groups of bricks may be compensated for as above described. It is of course understood that any movement of the hanger supported bricks may cause a corresponding movement of the intermediate rows of bricks. 31. i

All of the bricks embodied in my invention are preferably made of the same thickness for the purpose of reducing the cost of manufacturing and also for the purpose of g. reason of- 1 readily applying and'removing the bricks to and from the roof. 'Suppose, for instance, it became necessary to remove the two inner bricks 23 .of any group as shown in Figure 2. The only thing that is'necessary to be done is to remove the bricks 31 immediately adjacent the bricks 26 and 23 of that particular group and then withdraw I the bricks '26 of the group by sliding the same into the spaces left by removal of the bricks 31 and then move thebricks 23 on the head 19 of the hanger until such bricks become disengaged therefrom, and then sliding these laterally until removed in the same manner that the outer bricks 26 were removed. These bricks being removed, new 'ones may be supplied, and the group reassembled in the order inversely to that necessary for removal.

In the present embodiment of my invention I have shown the arch in the form of a sprung arch. It is well known that when such an arch is subjected to high temperatures, every brick tends to expand and the arch to'rise. Since the arch is supported on the hangers 1,8, which in turn are carried by the beams 15, it will be evident that by reason of the resilientsuspension of the beams 15 and of the individual resilient suspension of the hangers, the tension on the hangers at all times will be substantially the same, no matter how much the arch is moved by the action of the heat. Furthermore, the provision of such resilient means enables the height of the roof to be maintained in a substantially constant'posit on, and any movement of the groups of bricks may be compensated for as above described.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form and the proportion of parts and substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim: I

1. In an arch construction, a series of hangers, a' row of bricks extending in the direction of the series of hangers and in substantially balanced suspension beneath the same, said bricks having recesses and said hangers having engaging heads and the head of each hanger in engagement witha group of the bricks in the row, and an adjacent row of bricks sup orted on said hanger-supported bricks; a rick in a group supported by a hargerbeing removable in a direction transverse to its row, into a space left by removal of abrick in said adjacent row.

2. In an arch construction, a series of hangers, a row of bricks extending in the direction of the series of hangers and in substantially balanced suspension beneath the same, said bricks having recesses and said hangers having-engaging heads and the head of each hanger in engagement with a group of the bricks in the row, and an adjacent row of bricks supported on said hangersupported bricks; a brick in a cup supported by a hanger being remova le in a direction transverse to its row, into a space left by removal of a brick in said adjacent row; other bricks in a grou of hanger supported bricks being mova 1e upon its hanger in the direction of its row to disengageit from the hanger, and being then re movable from the row into said-space.

3. In a brick arch, a hanger having a head and a group of bricks supported on said head, comprising an apertured intermediate brick through and beyond the side of which said head extends and an outer brick having a groove extending transversely to the direction of the hanger support, receiving the protruding end of said head.

4. In a brick arch, a hanger having a head and a grou of bricks supported on said head, comprising a plurality of inner bricks having slots-through and beyond which said head extends and a pair of outer bricks having grooves intheir faces which receive the protruding ends of said head, said grooves permitting removal of said .outer bricksin a direction transverse of the head.

5. In a brick arch, a hanger having a head, and a group of bricks supported on said head, comprising a plurality of inner bricks having slots through and beyond which said head extends and a pair of outer bricks having grooves in their faces which receive the protruding ends of said head; the grooves of said outer bricks extending parallel to the face of the brick but transreceive the protruding ends of said head, I

said grooves permitting removal of said outer bricks in a directidn transverse of the head, said hanger. embodyin in its construction a suspending rod in t e planeof the abutting faces of two inner bricks of the group.

7 In a brick arch, a hanger comprising a suspending rod and a transversely extending head thereon, and a grou of bricks supported on said hanger comprising a pair of inner bricks recessed to receive the rod between their abutting faces and ,havin continuous-walled slots extending throug 7 them perpendicularly to said recessed faces,

through and beyond which slots said head extends, and outer bricks abutting faces of said inner bricks and having slots in their abutting faces extending transversely tothe direction of hanger support and receiving the protruding ends of said head.

8. "In an arch construction, spaced rows of hanger supported bricks, and" an intermediate row. of bricks interposed between said hanger supported bricks; each row of hanger supported-bricks comprising a series of groups of bricks with each group supported upon a hanger; each hanger comprising a suspendingrod and a head; and the bricks in each group comprising a pair of inner bricks in between which the suspending rod projects, having. transverse slots through. and. beyond which said head extends inopposite directions from said rod, and a. pair offlouter bricks abutting said inner bricks and having in their abutting faces grooves extending transversely to the direction of hanger support, which receive.

carrying means is made for variat ons in the p carrying position of said rows of bricks under vary- 4o ing heat conditions. i

' 10. In a furnace roof construction, a plurality of transversely disposed rows of bricks, hangers supporting alternate rows 'thereof means for carrying said hangers, 5

and resilient means for supporting said bodily to changes in load imposed upon it,

a series of hangers on said beam with individual resiliency relatively thereto in the directions of the loads which they sustain, and a row of arch-forming bricks sustained by said hangers.

12. In an arch construction, in combination, a plurality of rows of bricks, hangers supporting said rows of bricks, means for carrying said hangers, and {means for resiliently supporting said hangers 'relative- 1y to said carrying means.

13. In an arch construction, in'combination, a plurality of. of rows of bricks, hangers supporting said rows of briicks, means for carrying said hangers, resilient means for supporting said hangers in said means, and means for resiliently supportmgsaid carrying means in carry ng position.

Signed at Biloxi, Midsissippi, this 11th 7 day of December, 1919.

.ENOCH P. STEVENS. 

